The Box
by ktoll9
Summary: A/U: She can no longer stand the pain of allowing her heart outside of the protective box she'd once kept it in. It was time to do something about it. Maybe something a bit more drastic than before.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Box**_

_**Chapter 1**_

* * *

She was shocked at her own reaction as she stared down at the front page of the tabloid that screamed the recent night's events. No, there was nothing there about her, but there was plenty about him and his little escapades. She wanted to feel indignant. She wanted to feel pure hatred and the comforting feelings of vengeance, but there was nothing. She felt hollow and numb. No one, but her own mother had ever been able to elicit such a response from her and her manager was at a loss as he stared at the soulless being that sat before him.

Yashiro was at a loss. He knew there must be something that Kyoko had felt for Ren as a friend, but he had never expected a completely closed off Kyoko when he saw the photo collage of Ren's scandal sitting in front of her. She was like an empty soulless doll, with unnoticed tears streaming down her cheeks.

He tapped her on the shoulder, no reaction. He sighed. _So this was it. She really did have feelings for him._ He helped her up by her arm and proceeded to guide her from the LoveME room. He was going to take her somewhere and attempt to get her to vent. He didn't need her like this. She needed to release all of the pent up emotion that was causing this in her.

Halfway to the car, with Kyoko in tow, his phone rang with a familiar tone. He stopped and answered it. "What is it Ren?" He answered coldly.

Ren was taken aback by his manager's tone and hesitantly questioned him. "Where are you? Weren't you coming with me to the shoot today?"

Yashiro gritted his teeth and bit back the lecture that perched precariously on his tongue. "To answer your first question: I'm with Kyoko-chan today and to answer your second... I'm cleaning up your mess!" He answered shortly and quickly ending the call, leaving his male charge confused.

Less than an hour later, would find Yukihito Yashiro guiding his female charge to a remote location to encourage her to set free all of her pent up emotion, and _"let it all out"_. He felt that she needed this. He had noticed that ever since the encounter with Morizumi and her manager, Ren's coldness and bad reaction to her meeting with Sho a few weeks ago, Kyoko had been holding everything in, and it was taking its toll on her.

He guided her to a small clearing in the large forest-like park. He gave her shoulders a small squeeze and whispered in her ear. "Let it go, Kyoko-chan. You need this. Just scream, cry, do what you feel you need to do and when you need me, I'll be here." He instructed, gently patted her shoulder, and stepped back to let her have her space.

Yashiro was rendered speechless when her scream literally knocked him to his back, and before his very eyes, she was engulfed in a strange blue-black circle of flames. He watched in horror as his charge's tears fell freely, trailing down in streams of what could only be described as blood. As a cold wind whipped around her, he watched while her skin paled and her short, light-auburn hair lengthened on its own and darkened to a raven black. Her clothing became tattered and worn as if she had been there for many years wearing them. The ground beneath her became darkened and diseased, while the trees around them blackened and lost all foliage. At those private moments, her pain was felt. Her pain was his. _How could anyone have been so blind to how she had been suffering?_ He questioned as the images from her mind, poured into his freely. _It was so obvious if you actually looked._ He thought with tears behind his eyes.

He sighed and carefully approached her, trying to find a way into the flames, without being harmed himself. Oddly enough, they had parted for him as he stepped closer to her and pulled her into his arms from behind. "Shh... It's okay, Kyoko-chan." He pulled her in closely and murmured as one would a distressed child. "Let it all out." He told her as they both fell to the ground and he rocked her comfortingly, back and forth, cradling her closely in his arms.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She sobbed repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm not good enough. I-I can't do this anymore Yashiro-san. It just hurts too much. I'm tired of lying to myself. I just can't do this anymore." She whimpered as he caressed her hair, and held her tightly.

He looked up and around at the devastation around them. A perfect circle of death and destruction. Fallen, decayed trees. Glowing, blue poisonous mushrooms, sprouting from blackened, barren soil, and the decayed corpses of fallen birds and other small animals dotted the secluded clearing.

* * *

Yashiro cleared his throat as he sat with the ornately decorated little chest sitting in his lap, with his hands resting on it protectively.

Lory looked at him in disbelief. "They haven't released any of the details of the cause of the dead-spot in Arisugawa Park. How do you know about any of this?"

Yukihito sighed and focused his gaze on the small box. "I was there with Kyoko-chan, Sir. I took her there so that she could let off some steam when she saw the photos." With this statement, he pulled his phone from his pocket after donning a pair of gloves, navigated to his photos and handed the device to his boss.

Lory gasped at the devastation. "W-What happened?"

Yashiro shook his head sadly. "She was in love with him, Sir." He caressed the small box again.

Lory's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, _was_?" Of course Lory knew about how she felt for Ren, but to hear of it in past tense, alarmed him.

Yashiro carefully opened the small box to reveal a blackened, human heart-shaped, lump of stone that seemed to have glowing red cracks in it. Occasionally it would weakly pulse. "She told me to destroy it. That she didn't need it anymore. It was causing her too much pain. That... with it..." He sobbed quietly. "With it, she couldn't live with the pain. She wanted to die." He paused and a horrifying memory flitted across his face. "Sh-She ripped it from her own body, still beating. It was still beating when she handed it to me with a smile, Takarada-san! She fucking handed me her still-beating heart! She stood up like nothing ever happened, and walked back to the car. I swear to Kami, Sir... I've never been so terrified and heart-broken in my entire life. I watched a sweet angelic Kyoko-chan, turn into something inhuman and walk away from it as if nothing had ever happened!" He closed up the silk lined box and locked it once again. "I honestly don't know what to do. Who do I give this to? I don't want it destroyed like she told me to, and Kami knows Ren certainly isn't capable of caring for it. I don't know how to either. What should I do?"

Lory sat back in his seat in shock. "Are you telling me, that she tore her own heart from her body, and gave it to you? To you, to destroy?"

Yashiro nodded. "Yes, Sir." He whispered.

"Did she say why she didn't do so herself?" Lory was curious. _If she had the incentive and means to do something like that, why not finish the job?_

Yashiro sighed. "After she removed it Sir, that's when everything changed. She just didn't care anymore. Said she didn't need it."

Lory looked at him in deep thought. "So what we saw this morning, that was her?"

Yashiro nodded solemnly. "What do we do Sir?"

For the first time in a very long time, Lory had no idea what to say. He was just too shocked and horrified at this new development.

"Excuse me if I may, Takarada-sama." Ruto emerged from the shadows, and bowed deeply.

Lory looked up at him, a little surprised. Ruto rarely voiced his opinion on anything that he witnessed in the office. He nodded to him.

"Kyoko-sama is a very powerful witch. Without her heart, she will have nothing to control her." Ruto said factually, as if he had seen something like this before.

Lory and Yashiro looked to him inquisitively. "How do you know something like this?"

Ruto shook his head. "I have seen something like this once when I was a boy." He explained to them. They didn't need to know that it was his own sister he had witnessed.

"How do we return it to her? I doubt she'll willingly accept it." Lory asked.

Ruto shook his head. "You cannot. She will not be able to accept it in the condition that it's in at the moment. It is far too damaged." He turned to Yashiro. "Yashiro-sama, you have done rightly by protecting it from her, and from harm. It will need time and great care to heal from those that care deeply for her, those that actually love her. No others will be able to heal it." He told them gravely, briefly remembering the tragic demise of his beloved sister, Zahra.

And there was the conundrum. Were there others that actually loved her enough to repair that kind of damage? Could they actually find a way to turn a witch's stone heart back to supple, caring flesh and who could they possibly be? Ren had obviously proved his ineptitude in the task and Fuwa would probably make things infinitely worse. Her mother denied her existence. He didn't think they could rely on Kuu and Juli, she hadn't heard from Kuu since before Christmas of the prior year. Lory suspected that they couldn't rely on the Fuwas for that matter either, they had come to see her once in the entire almost three years she'd been in Tokyo, and that resulted in an explosive mess that took months for the PR Department to clean up. They were actually the main reason she was receiving hate-mail from Fuwa-san's fans at the moment. Who could they find to help heal her battered heart so that it could be returned to its proper place?


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

He hadn't seen her since that night the paparazzi caught the photo of him and the older actress. At first, he felt justified in what he had done as he pulled her closer to him and leaned into her kiss. His mind told him that he had every right to do as he pleased. She wasn't his and he wasn't hers. There was no relationship other than Senior to Junior in the world of entertainment. It didn't matter what those painful feelings told him.

At no point did he ever reveal his feelings to anyone, not her, not his godfather, not his friend and manager, so why were they looking at him like he'd cheated on his wife? She was nothing to him and he never implied so. He lied to himself with that one to ease the pain. Was she playing the victim with them? Was she telling them there was something there that wasn't, and that's why they gave him that disgusted look with a sigh? He was finished with the little pursuit that left him pining over her constantly and they had no right to judge him for moving on, or was this feeling just his own guilty conscience?

He noticed the very person that he had been thinking of, enter through the employee entrance. From her look, it seemed as though she was preparing for her new role. Her raven black hair, fell below her hips and her walk was more relaxed. She didn't seem as reserved or as modestly stiff as normal. She was wearing all black. Her appearance had become something closer to a female Cain Heel, more than anything else, at least that's what she reminded him of. It was a very gothically emo Kyoko, with her hair, makeup and clothing.

He watched as she walked to the end of the hall and left through the door that lead to the smoking area. "What the hell?" He murmured as he lengthened his stride and quickened his pace. She was not going to avoid him this time. Had she really been avoiding him or was he avoiding her? He swept through the door, angrily, ready to give her a piece of his mind and find out what was going on. Have her answer all of his questions once and for all.

He stood there in shock as he watched her light the cigarette without the aid of anything but a kiss from her lips. She glanced at the intruder and deeply inhaled as if she had been smoking her entire life. "Can I help you with something Tsuruga-san?" She asked emotionlessly with dull eyes, that he had only ever seen on her once before.

"Mogami-san? What are you doing out here?" He asked, trying to hide his anger.

She took another puff and exhaled calmly, creating strange smoke images to amuse herself. Why did his anger not bother her like it usually did? "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm relaxing before I have to go back to work. It's called a smoke break." She told him as if she were teaching a class of small children, slowly and meticulously. "May I ask why you're here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you." He refrained from spitting that one out. He had many things he wanted to get off his chest.

She sighed boredly. "About?"

Her lack of emotion was starting to severely piss him off. How could she be so calm and apathetic when he was boiling over right now? "I want to know why you're avoiding me." He spat out.

"I haven't been avoiding you, Tsuruga-san. I've been busy. Was that your only concern?"

He was almost speechless. "But you have time to play tonsil hockey with that hack singer?!"

She smirked evilly at him. "No more time than you have to slip into bed with that cadaver you picked up a few weeks ago at the bar." She took a final drag from the cigarette and put it out on the palm of her hand. She nodded at the stunned actor and tossed the butt in the trash. "Have a nice day Tsuruga-san."

Honestly, as he thought more about it, it really was none of his business who she decided to be with. He'd never really come out and told her anything of consequence. He never told her how he felt. She'd been the one that'd been burned by love, why would she suddenly decide to spill her heart to him when he had women doing that to him daily? Of course he would need to be the first one to confess, yet he just wasn't grasping that concept. Only a fool would expose themselves to that type of pain more than once.

He watched stunned as she casually walked back in to start her day. He wanted to follow, pull her back, but something was holding him firmly in place.

Something was very wrong. She shouldn't be feeling this way. She shouldn't be feeling anything at all. She shouldn't feel a tiny, distant glimmer of _**anything**_ at all. She had ripped it from her body and disposed of it that night. She wasn't supposed to feel satisfaction at making him squirm or, the desire for vengeance. She wasn't supposed to feel that little spark of pain that came from hearing his voice or, seeing his face.

_**~xoxo~**_

Maria flinched a little in surprise as the box on her desk lightly pulsed. "Onee-sama..." She whispered sadly. She gently caressed the box and the small tear that fell on it sizzled, then disappeared. "Don't worry... I'll take care of it for you." She kissed her small fingers and placed them on the box. "I love you. You aren't alone." She whispered to the heart it contained, after opening it to check its safety. Another crack in the stone could be seen and Maria's tears fell on it freely. She closed the small box and wiped away her sadness. "I'm so sorry, Onee-sama. Please don't give up." She murmured.

* * *

Kyoko clutched her empty chest as she felt the pain ripple through her body and fell to her knees. _Why is this happening?_

Yashiro rushed to her side and helped her up. "Kyoko-chan! Are you alright?"

She closed her eyes and the pain ebbed away. _This shouldn't be happening!_ She turned her gaze to Yashiro, and he could feel the heat of her stare. He shivered. "Where is it? Where did you put it?" She hissed low.

He swallowed nervously. He had been warned by Ruto that this could be a very dangerous mission. Powerful witches were not to be trifled with. They weren't the frilly little pretenders that history had painted them as. A true witch was extremely hard to flee from if they wanted revenge, difficult to deal with, and nearly impossible to kill. Anything short of burying her in a salt mine with a holy relic would not do if they needed to dispatch her to protect themselves, and others. Honestly, they weren't really sure they'd be able to do something like **_that_ **to her anyway. He had also been warned that he should do everything in his power to keep her from those that had caused her awakening in the first place: her mother, the Fuwas, Sho, and possibly Ren.

"It's in a safe place Kyoko-chan. I promise." He told her solemnly.

She examined him closely for signs of falsehoods, then nodded in satisfaction when finding none. "I trust you, but it irritates me that you didn't destroy it like I instructed."

He nodded letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He wanted to lie to her and tell her he tried, so she wouldn't ask about it again, but Ruto had warned him about lying to her too. At least this way, she could be a little upset with him and think it was just a sentimental weakness on his part. "I'm very sorry, Kyoko-chan. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm certain that one day, you'll need it again."

She nodded emotionlessly. "I doubt that's possible. Just keep it away from me. The small amount that I'm feeling right now is causing an unnecessary discomfort."

He nodded quietly. _At least Maria-chan has it right now. She'll know what to do, to keep it safe._ He thought as he watched Kyoko don Momiji and sail through her scenes. He had to admit, for someone that didn't have her heart with her and was basically without emotion, she did a really good job of acting it out without that troublesome organ. _Maybe she's feeling it more than she realizes._ He would need to discuss this with Maria at the end of the day. He needed to find out what exactly had elicited the response that brought her to her knees.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Excuse the slight delay on my other story. Had ACL Reconstructive surgery and have been hopped up on Percocet for a few days. This is one of the stories that I already have finished, so I really don't have to think much about it. LOL. Otherwise it probably wouldn't make any sense. 8)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

He always knew it would be difficult to deal with the pain of knowing that she was viewing him as being cut from the same cloth that Fuwa was or did she think he was worse? Did she really think of him that way or was it his own guilt? At least Fuwa had gotten a response from her in the past, Kuon couldn't even elicit a flinch of acknowledgment from her now. It was almost as if she only saw him as just another grain of sand in a desert. He almost wanted to be despised, reviled and treated like the vermin he felt like. He wanted to be hated and looked at with disgust by her. At least that would be something, instead of this void she'd placed him in. It was almost as if she had removed her heart and him along with it. He often wondered if this was why Fuwa behaved like he did.

He needed time to reflect on her recent behavior and her comments. She had changed too much not to notice, and she obviously wasn't responsible for the way people were responding to him. Certainly he was beginning to regret ever involving himself in another little outing with that model, but he most certainly did _**not**_ sleep with her, as was implied in the tabloids. He wasn't sure how those particular pictures came about, the woman never even came near his apartment building, as far as he knew. He deeply regretted even sharing a cab with her though. It was obvious she was using the scandal to boost her newfound popularity, even if it was something that could potentially destroy both their careers.

He took a small table in the corner of LA Hearts, to quietly contemplate without any disturbances. He could think quietly, study his script or just check his emails and surf the internet as he waited for Yashiro to come back from his most recent meeting with whomever he was talking to at the moment.

"Mo, Maria-chan... I'm not even sure what you want me to do with that thing. It's creeping the hell out of me." He heard Kyoko's best friend sigh out in the secluded booth, a short distance from him.

"You just need to keep it close to you for a short while. We have to do this for Onee-sama or she'll never be the same again. I don't want those things that Ruto said would happen, to happen. Do you?" Maria's voice sounded very distressed to him.

_What on Earth are they talking about?_ Ren thought as he tried to hear more of their conversation.

Kanae sighed. "I know, I know. It's just all so surreal. If I hadn't seen her behavior, and that thing myself I would have never believed anything that happened. I mean, who does that? I know they hurt her, but was it to the point that she had to do something like that? Don't get me wrong, if I had the ability to do that, I would probably do it too, but how are we supposed to heal it? Don't you think there's a strong likelihood that she'll refuse it once it is healed?" He heard LoveME #2 lecture the child.

Maria groaned a little, and her voice took on a more authoritative and stern tone. "Grandfather, Yashiro-san, Chiori-san, Ruto, and I are all fully aware that she may never take it back. We know that she may curse us for giving help where she doesn't want it. We also know that if this isn't done, something very bad could happen. It isn't about hearts and flowers anymore, it's about preventing something that could actually cause major disasters, disease, and death. You saw the pictures of what she did to that clearing. Imagine that being downtown Tokyo. Imagine that happening around lots of people." Maria paused, and Ren was truly curious now. "Mōko-san, she needs us. She needs to know that we love her enough to do this for her. She doesn't have anyone else. Her mother doesn't love her. Ren-sama doesn't love her. That stupid singer never loved her. She only has us."

Ren listened and felt the pain of Maria's words, and the wounds that his denial had caused in himself and those around him. Wasn't she the one that called him despicable when he gave her the flower ring? Wasn't she the one avoiding him? Wasn't she the one being cold to him? Wasn't she the one that ran back to Fuwa at her first chance?

"Don't even mention those two around me. One has a girlfriend that tried to kill Kyoko and the other ass is sleeping with his manager while constantly pestering her. She'd be better off with that stalker she has, at least he wouldn't be freaked out by her weirdness or play with her feelings." Kanae spat out.

"Onee-sama can be a little strange, and I suppose no one else would understand the situation like Reino-san would." Maria pondered.

Ren winced a little at the tone the two were using, but why did no one tell him about someone trying to kill Kyoko? He was pretty sure they weren't talking about him, he didn't have a girlfriend. He furrowed his brow. _I do love her... What the hell is going on?_ He'd finally admitted to himself. He stood from where he was and turned to the booth the girls were sitting in. "Maria-chan? Kotonami-san? Would one of you please tell me what is going on?" He asked in a worried, yet irritated tone.

Maria started to answer and Kanae touched her arm to stop her. She looked up at Ren and cocked an eyebrow. "You should worry about keeping your girlfriend in line, so she doesn't hurt anyone else. What's going on with Kyoko, isn't any of _**your**_ business." She tried to tell him calmly, but her anger was seeping out a little.

"I don't have a girlfriend. Whatever you've read in those gossip rags, is completely false." He defended.

Kanae rolled her eyes. "I don't take into account what that trash prints. Your girlfriend flashed the promise ring you gave her for White Day at Kyoko, and bragged about it. You should take care of that little loose end before trying to add another one to your collection, don't you think? Just make sure it _**isn't**_ my best friend!" Kanae informed him irritably. "If you don't mind, Maria and I have somewhere we need to be." She stood, and she and Maria left with the small ornately decorated box that Maria had been carrying around with her for the past couple of weeks.

He was stunned._ Who the hell was going around telling everyone that I gave them a promise ring? Was this why she gave that reaction when I put the little flower ring on her pinky?_

* * *

Deep in the recesses of the floor that held the Music Section, a dark young woman picked up a 12-string and began strumming a tune she'd heard. It was hard and rough, and her voice sang out in a small studio, attracting others to their instruments. Soon she was accompanied by a drum set, a keyboard, bass, and a 6-string. They all knew the tune, and although it was a cover of the original song, it rang out better than the original with just as much, if not more, emotion. More emotion than some believed she had in her.

Nakazawa stood listening in stunned silence. Not once had he expected this particular girl to have that type of talent. "Kyoko-chan? I didn't know you could sing and play."

She smirked a little, as she placed the guitar back in its case. "I taught Fuwa everything he knows, Nakazawa-san. Why wouldn't I?"

His brow furrowed. "Fuwa? As in Sho Fuwa?" He asked a little confused.

She rolled her eyes and sighed a little irritably. "Is there any other Fuwa in this business?"

He chuckled. "I suppose not. Is that why you wanted to catch up to him?"

The laugh she gave him sent chills down his spine. "I really don't care what that ungrateful ass does anymore." She told him emotionlessly. "I just wanted to see if I still had it in me to play. I suppose I do. It was nothing more than that." She explained.

"Oh... Okay. Well, it was very good. If you ever change your mind about acting or want to add this to your resume, let me or Sawara-san know." He told her.

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks." She told him as she walked out. Yashiro was probably waiting on her somewhere, and it was almost time to film Sacred Lotus. Yashiro wouldn't dare comment later on her most recent changes, she was slowly recovering.

* * *

_**A/N: The end of this chapter was inspired by the song: I Am The Fire by Halestorm**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: This chapter was inspired by Mz. Hyde by Halestorm. I only wish I was that creative. Lol.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

* * *

To be standing in the center of a small cyclone of debris, terrified of the girl he grew up with was not what he had in mind. She had such an evil smile gracing her lips, it was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen in his entire young life. One could say that he was definitely a masochist at this point.

She really didn't know who had control of her heart at the moment, but it was delicious. This overwhelming feeling of hot lust and aggressiveness was liberating. She'd never felt so free in her entire life. _Kudos to the idiot that has control right now._ She thought with a smirk. This was so much more than Natsu ever aspired to be.

"What's the matter Sho-chan? Too much for you?" She asked the frozen young man before her with a sexy smile as she caressed his cheek then pinched his neck.

He wanted to answer with one of his caustic comments, but nothing came to him. She was just too overwhelming, and intimidating.

"Hmm... Not man enough to even answer." She commented a little disappointed. "What a shame. I thought you would at least be a little up to it." She told him as she release him and started dressing for her next scene. "You know, like you used to be. I surely thought that you would be up to a little bit of conflict. Be a little more forceful. So boring."

He blushed at the thought. She'd never been so forward in mentioning their time at the beginning. In fact, there were many times he believed that she would sing to the media and ruin him for sure. He missed touching her, kissing her lips and feeling her beneath him. His groupies just weren't as willing as he'd believed they would be. Sure, she'd behaved like he'd taken her first kiss and all, but really to think that they never did anything was ridiculous. They'd been alone together for a year, to believe that they didn't make that connection was insane. To think he wouldn't take advantage of that situation was unrealistic. "I miss you Kyoko."

She laughed. _Did he really think I would fall for something like that? Does he really think I'm that stupid?_ "You don't miss me. You miss the sex." She said bluntly and turned to him. "I don't. I can get that anywhere." She turned to him with an evil smirk. "Don't you know? Women don't have to beg for it." She told him in a cheery tone, and walked out.

Sho stood frozen in her dressing room for a good long while. _What kind of monster did I create?_ Was his first thought, and then the realization that she was the one that had devoted herself to everything about him, hit him. If she chose to, she could easily catch up to him and surpass him in every way. Until now, she'd never shown the desire to. It seemed as though now, something had been released inside of her and nothing he could do or say would stop whatever caged beast had been set free, after he'd poked it with a stick for so many years.

* * *

"Is that Kyouko?" The drummer asked the bassist as she hopped up onto the small stage in the nightclub.

He answered with a nod and a smile of admiration. "Let's see what she's made up of." He whispered.

She flipped her raven locks and smiled at the band. "Do you boys know any of these?" She asked as she flashed the open web page on her phone to them.

"Yeah..." The guitarist told her a little acidly. He honestly didn't think she'd be able to impress them. She was just an actress after all.

She smirked. "Good, I want to do Mz. Hyde." She told them before she grabbed a guitar and set into a rift, impressing the hell out of the small group of young men. If they hadn't been mesmerized by the way she'd been dressed, she shocked them with her skills.

They nodded to each other and enthusiastically joined in.

_In the daylight,  
I'm your sweetheart,  
You're goody-two-shoes prude is a work of art  
But you don't know me,  
And soon you won't forget,  
Bad as can be, yeah you know I'm not so innocent _

She had that club hopping by the time they were finished for the evening. She'd performed six more songs and they definitely did not have a problem with it. Especially when she gave them a phone number and told them to call it that Monday. They couldn't help, but think they'd just been recruited to be her band. It was something that they were going to hold her to when they called.

"Just tell Lory Takarada that you're my band." She told them with authority. She glanced at the lead singer and smiled, then kissed him and caressed his neck. "I'm looking forward to working with you." She murmured, then winked. They could only watch in stunned surprise as she prowled off the stage and out the door like a sleek, wild, alley-cat.

* * *

Lory sat at his desk stunned. It was one thing to see it on the security footage from the other day, but what Ruto had brought to him was just beyond words. The girl had more talent than any one person could handle. He looked up at him from the footage that he'd recorded from the nightclub in shock. "Who has her heart right now?"

Ruto chuckled. "Ah... That would be Amamiya-san, and Kotonami-san."

Lory shook his head. "I really need to keep a closer eye on my girls. I never dreamed the LoveME girls suppressed so much. Should we do something about this?"

Ruto shook his head. "Not unless you know someone that was as innocent as she portrayed herself as." He told him.

Lory sat back in his seat perplexed. The entrepreneur in him wanted to take full advantage, but the human in him believed he needed to find someone that would restore her to her old self. He looked up at Ruto. "What do we do?"

"She's making good progress, Sir. Let her express herself. She wouldn't be this way if it weren't hidden within her in the first place. We should set her free." He told him with a serious expression.

Lory nodded and then smiled. "Contact that group she was with. I want them in here on Monday. See if we can't talk them into a contract, and sign them. Maybe that will help." He told him, pulling out her file and adding to it.

Within a month, one would find her music blaring on every radio station and her CD's flying off the shelves, purchased by jaded young people all over Japan and it was spreading further through the internet. She was rising faster that Sho ever dreamed. Music written by her and the young singer that she'd met that night at the nightclub, Hiro Tanaka.

Hiro Tanaka, 19 years-old, taller than average, dark hair, golden eyes, the voice of an angel, and a huge fan of _The Kyouko_, especially now. He certainly didn't mind sharing the studio or the stage with this dark angel. There was something about the young man that reminded him of Kyoko. Whether it was his looks or his carefree attitude, Lory couldn't decide, but the voices of the pair shared a certain chemistry and harmony. It was as if they were the male and female aspects of each other. Lory needed to look into it more.

* * *

He didn't know why he'd asked it of the pair, but he was certainly glad he did. The approaching situation was not something he wanted his new talents mixed up in. Lory stared at the the revelation in shock. Could the world really be that small? So small that his LoveME number one and his new acquisition were related? _Half-Brother and sister?_ He groaned. It was more like the Heel siblings that he cared to admit. The only difference was that the female was the dark one.

It had be a few months since the park incident and he'd included Kuon in that small circle of friends that were caring for her heart, without her or the other's knowledge. Certainly she was a little rough around the edges and she definitely was climbing to the top of the charts, much to Akatoki's chagrin. Lory thanked his lucky stars that Kyoko hadn't included Hiro-kun in her little toy chest of playthings. Perhaps she sensed, deep down, what Lory had just discovered. It was certainly something that Kuon had never mentioned to him regarding her past, when he'd come to him in desperation and willing to spill everything he knew and felt about her.

He leaned back in his seat, and sighed. "How do I tell them?"

"What is that, Sir?" Ruto asked.

"It would appear that Mogami-kun has a half-brother. A very talented one, at that." He told him.

Ruto looked at him in deep thought. "You should tell him first, and bring him up to date on the situation, just as you did the others."

Lory furrowed his brow. "Do you think that would be a good idea?"

"I would want to know. He thinks he's alone, they both do. It would do both of them good to know and assist in her healing." Ruto advised. It was one mistake he refused to make twice. No one had told him about his own sister until it was far too late. If he could prevent disaster with Kyoko-sama, he would make every effort to do so.

Lory nodded. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

Hiro couldn't really say that he was shocked. He'd suspected a connection with her once they got to know each other. What actually shocked him was the situation that she was in. He'd heard stories from his father and grandmother of witches in their bloodline. He was somewhat disappointed when he was younger that his innate ability wasn't that strong, but to discover that he had a sister, and she was suffering, pulled him to her side. His grandmother had told him of instances in their family like this, and he knew how to remedy the situation.

He'd grown close to Kyoko over the months with her, and when Lory handed him the box that contained her heart, he knew exactly what to do. Sure she would be angry with him, but he was the only one that could force her to take it back without her harming him.

"I love you Kyoko. I am your brother, family. I will **NEVER** leave you. Not now that I've found you." He told the sobbing, broken little female in his arms. "Onii-san will protect you." He told her.

Her heart hadn't been fully healed, but what her friends had done for her helped immensely and he and the rest of the family would finish the job. He would not allow this to happen again.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

* * *

"You have a lot of nerve coming to her like that Tsuruga." Hiro told him calmly, with arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "She doesn't need someone in her life that isn't going to put her first. I've heard a lot of stuff about you I don't like, from other people."

Kuon clenched his fists at the upstart's words. "Who the hell do you think you are? What do think you know?"

Hiro smirked. "As her brother... I know enough. If you want to be with her, you'll have to go through me." Yes, she definitely had an overprotective big brother and he would be flexing his muscle in her life. He wasn't about to let a using ass like Fuwa, back into her life.

Kuon stood in shock. This was something that Lory failed to mention. "Brother?"

Hiro nodded.

"Her _**real**_ brother?" He clarified.

Hiro smirked. "Half-brother, but brother just the same, and my sister deserves the best." He told him.

"I know she deserves the best... I know... I need her more than she needs me." Kuon sat on the small bench in the hall where they'd confronted each other, and raked his hands through his hair. He chuckled wryly. "So... You're her brother." He stated as he looked up at the surprised younger man.

Disarmed and surprised at Kuon's humbled behavior, Hiro chuckled. He'd expected another arrogant ass like Fuwa. "Yeah... Sucks."

Kuon looked at him a little confused.

"Never mind." He told him. He didn't need one of her many suitors knowing that he had a thing for his own sister, no matter how hot he thought she was.

It didn't matter. After playing the part of Cain Heel, he could guess correctly what Hiro was thinking. He looked up at him. "So... How's she been doing?" He'd decided to leave that little feeling of male sympathy alone.

Hiro sighed a little. "I got her to take it back. It's pretty common in our family. Our grandmother helped, but Fuwa might be a problem."

Kuon snorted. "When is he not?"

Hiro nodded. "Granny's already cursed him, but I'm not sure that'll be enough. He won't be able to get within a meter of her without feeling its effects. Hopefully we won't need to get Dad involved." He commented. That was something they **_all_ **wished to avoid. The man had changed greatly over the years and didn't surface very often. Hiro hadn't seen him in years until Kyoko, and he knew the man would probably kill anyone that harassed Kyoko. They really didn't want missing celebrities drawing attention to the coven. Kyoko's _dead-spot_ had been enough of a scare to catch his attention, and draw him out. The man was unsettling, but the fact that Kyoko had him wrapped around her little finger immediately, was even more so.

Kuon furrowed his brow. Was that really a thing? He'd heard Kyoko and Maria talking about things like that every now and then, but could it really be done? Were all of those mystical things actually possible? After seeing her heart himself, he was pretty sure these things were facts.

"I don't expect anyone outside of our coven to understand, but he won't be a very happy person for a few years, and he'll be a little busy." Hiro told him casually.

_Remind me never to piss off her family or her._ Kuon thought.

Hiro looked down that hall and smiled. He turned back to Kuon. "You might want to be honest with her or she's going to put you in the same category as Fuwa." He told him, standing straight.

"She doesn't already?" He asked dryly.

Hiro smirked. "The fact that you don't have a nasty curse hanging on your future, says she doesn't."

_Great, that's all I need, another weirdo to deal with when it comes to her._ He thought. He nearly lost his breath when he saw her walking towards them.

"Hiro, coming to pick me up again?" She asked, glancing at Kuon. "Ren..." She acknowledged.

Well, at least she'd dropped the formalities between them._ That is a good sign, right?_

"Grandma wants you there tonight. We don't need a repeat of that again." He gave her a poignant look.

She groaned, and rolled her eyes. "Fine... It won't happen again." She reminded him. She enjoyed the time without her heart, but she had lost a lot of her original self during the process, far more than she'd lost when she'd left Sho. She was meeting with the coven and her paternal grandmother weekly to check on her state of mind and progress.

Yes, a lot had happened since Hiro discovered the truth of everything. She'd met and been brought into the coven and family. She'd met, and worked things out with her father. Grandmother had subdued her the evening that that Hiro had taken possession of her heart and it had been placed back where it belonged as she slept. The next morning their grandmother had been enlightened of everything that had gone on in Kyoko's life.

If anyone thought Lory Takarada was a LoveMon, they would have been shocked to know that Kyoko and Hiro's paternal grandmother was infinitely worse. In her opinion, a witch would not reach their full potential unless they accepted love into their heart. What made things worse, was the fact that there were spells, charms, talismans, potions, and elixirs that would remedy that little situation faster than Kyoko could tell anyone that she wasn't capable of love, and she'd been bombarded with them all, without her knowledge. Hiro was witness to that fact as he observed the sudden change in Kuon; although, he didn't need to know that Kuon was more like Kuu than he cared to admit when it came to his sister, and had been for awhile. Even the slightest nudge from Granny would have sent the lovesick fool tumbling over the edge, he didn't need any help in that area.

Kuon sat in a haze as he stared at the beautiful, radiant, goddess-like angel speaking to her brother. It almost felt like he was completely intoxicated. His mind seemed to be clouded by something, and words were coming out that he meant to keep to himself. "I'm Corn..." He blurted out with the truth.

Kyoko furrowed her brow, turned, and looked at him a little surprised. She sighed. "I know."

Hiro stood in the background, with a raised brow. He knew for sure what was going on now. He'd seen that look before. _Granny strikes again._ He mused, and shivered a little in fear, hoping that the elderly woman never set her sights on matching him with anyone, in earnest. The thought that her true love spells and potions were quite effective, was terrifying. He was not quite ready for something like that; although, the thought that Kyoko's little friend Chiori was a bit interesting, but the thoughts certainly did not alert him to any outside forces at work. No, he was pretty sure Granny wouldn't do that to him too, not that the person she decided to "help" would be aware of it anyway.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I didn't want to ruin everything." He told her as she sat next to him and her brother mouthed that he would see her later.

She nodded to Hiro and turned her attention back to Kuon. "What about your girlfriend?"

Kuon shook his head. "I don't have one. Haven't since I met you again." He told her honestly. "I wanted it to be you. I can't stop thinking about you, Kyoko."

She sighed. "I'm Bo... What about the girl you're in love with?" She asked.

He gave her a soft chuckle and smiled. "It was you. I should have told you sooner." His mind was quickly clearing. "Shouldn't have let this go on for as long as it did. I'm not a fairy prince, sorry."

She smiled. "I'm not an innocent princess either." She stared down at her hands. "I'm a witch." She whispered.

He smiled softly and caressed her cheek, guiding her face up to look at him. "I know."

She frowned a little. "I've changed. I lost a lot."

He moved closer to her. "You're still you. The Kyoko I'll always be in love with." He told her and gave her a gentle kiss to her lips. "Nothing will ever change that for me."

* * *

_On the center of a mantelpiece sat a small chest. It closely resembled that of a small treasure chest made of mahogany, banded in gold, with intricate little carvings around the edges and lined in soft purple silk. No longer did it contain the broken heart of a disillusioned witch, but now the gift from a fairy prince and equally as treasured. The stone nor the chest were needed, for the fairy prince now personally took care of the witch's heart, and she of his. Gone were the silent prayers to rid themselves of the pain caused by others. Gone were the misunderstandings, the secrets, and gone were the lonely moments without friends or loved ones. They had both gone from being alone in the world, without family and friends, to having more than either of them knew what to do with. _

_**~fin~**_


End file.
